1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an apparatus, a method, and the like for using information publicized through a web server etc. on the Internet.
2. Description of Related Art
Web servers on the Internet were initially used primarily for publicizing academic information. However, in recent years, such servers have been used to publicize information that is updated at a frequency much higher than that of academic information and that includes such information as news flashes, new product announcements, traffic information, weather information, and weblogs.
In addition, much more information has been provided to a user, recently. Accordingly, this urges the user to collect the information more efficiently.
To cope with this, methods such as those described in JP-2000-284919-A, JP-2004-021453-A, and JP2007-156713-A are proposed. According to the method described in JP-2000-284919-A, a power timer management portion manages a state of power in accordance with a schedule that is fed in by a user through a user information input portion and memorized in a memorizing portion. In a page updating method memorizing portion, an internet communication portion is used to access a URL that is set by the user through a URL input portion at a time set by the user through a schedule input portion to thereby obtain page information. The page information thus obtained is compared with contents in the page updating method memorizing portion. If it is updated, the page information is temporarily stored in a temporary memory portion. Then, web page information is interpreted by a print management portion, and, if it is necessary, a print portion makes a print based on settings inputted by the user through a print setting input portion.
According to a method described in JP-2004-021453-A, a printer connects to the Internet, automatically visits and connects to an information processing apparatus corresponding to an URL in accordance with a time and schedule specified by a user, checks whether or not information disclosed by the information processing apparatus is updated, and automatically obtains the updated information for printing.
According to a method described in JP-2007-156713-A, an image processing apparatus, when a fixed-time print job process starts, determines whether or not there is a print job that needs to be printed at the current time. If it is determined that there is such a job, the image processing apparatus, in accordance with a URL specified by the print job, requests a website corresponding to the URL for updated information described in RSS or Atom format and obtains the information. Then, the image processing apparatus determines whether or not a resource of the registered URL has been updated by analyzing the obtained updated information. When it is determined that the resource of the registered URL has been updated, the image processing apparatus obtains a corresponding resource by using that URL, generates an image to be printed based on the obtained resource, and prints the image.
Other documents, JP-2002-189394-A, JP-2002-268831-A, JP-2003-209650, and JP-2004-186780 disclose a method for printing an image specified by a user together with an advertisement.
According to the conventional method as described in JP-2000-284919-A, JP-2004-021453-A, and JP-2007-156713-A, a print is made, even when a tiny fraction of information is updated. However, in recent years when an updating frequency and an amount of information have been rising as described above, a user wishes to obtain information more efficiently.